Empowering Waja Squad Among Community Leaders to Prevent Violence Against Women

The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM), through the Women’s Development Department (JPW), is continuing the initiative to empower the Waja Squad through the “Semarak Skuad Waja” Programme, which involves community leaders as volunteers to raise public awareness of violence against women.

Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, has launched the Johor Waja Squad 2024 Programme at Hotel Katerina in Batu Pahat, Johor. She stated that the Waja Squad volunteers’ goal is to empower the community through psychological guidance courses and community activities.

One of the programme’s goals is to impart community leaders in the state of Johor on the Waja Squad’s role and implementation and to also get community leaders involved by exposing them to the role and execution of Waja Squad members.

The purpose of the Waja Squad is to bring about change by educating women about criminal tactics and necessary actions, in addition to increasing their awareness of legislation. Women can become more courageous, autonomous, and receptive to the needs of the community, and be helpful to one another through knowledge exposure.

Since the establishment of the Waja Squad in 2021 until April 2024, the total number of Waja Squad members is 332,840 where 257,638 are women (77.4%) and 75,202 men (22.6%). For the state of Johor alone, there are a total of 24,232 Waja Squad members involving 22,130 women and 2,102 men.

One of the strategies that is most closely associated with Waja Squad is its psychosocial programme for community development. Through the Waja Squad psychosocial programme, a total of 72,942 people have received treatment nationwide, while 12,061 people in the state of Johor have received treatment.

The participants in this programme heard presentations on women and the legal system from Siti Aishah binti Mohd Rais, an advocate and attorney, Women Against Crime from ASP Maimunah Sujak (PDRM), and the Waja Squad from Kee Jia Hong, Assistant Director of JPW.

Also present were Datuk Dr Maziah Che Yusoff, Secretary General of KPWKM and Hanani Sapit, Director General of the Women’s Development Department, representatives of community leaders as well as senior officials of Ministries and Agencies.